County looks to dissolving the Housing Commission; Trying to ‘reach more customers effectively’

Thursday

Jun 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 11, 2013 at 10:07 AM

Although no official action was taken yet, county officials came to a consensus Tuesday that eliminating the Housing Commission would be preferable to maintaining it as is or changing it to a committee.

By Shawna Jankoviakshawna@cheboygantribune.com

Although no official action was taken yet, county officials came to a consensus Tuesday that eliminating the Housing Commission would be preferable to maintaining it as is or changing it to a committee.Community Development Director Steve Schnell told the Board of Commissioners at its Tuesday meeting that he was proposing a change within the Home Improvement Loan Services division and wanted input.“Currently there is a Housing Commission in place which functions as a review body to make recommendations on many matters which are ultimately decided upon by the Board of Commissioners,” Schnell said. “I am recommending that we change the function of the Housing Commission from a review body to a Housing Committee with more of an advisory role.”Project review will be initiated by staff according to program guidelines, which include specific guidelines from HUD and MSHDA as well as county-approved policies, Schnell noted. The Board of Commissioners will have final review of each project.“The proposal is to have (the Housing Committee) provide guidance on the bigger picture aspects of housing program operations so that we reach more customers more effectively,” Schnell reported. “These changes would greatly reduce the review time and administrative costs. The most effective streamlining will be to remove the requirement that the Housing Commission review each individual project and recommend action to the Board of Commissioners.”Schnell proposed dissolving the Housing Commission and appointing the same people who served on it to a Housing Committee.According to Schnell, neither HUD nor MSHDA require the county to have a Housing Commission, and no Housing Commission ordinance was ever passed by the county.Schnell suggested the committee could provide recommendations to the Housing Director in development of a marketing plan to disseminate information regarding the Home Improvement Loan Services program, could identify housing needs and develop appropriate priorities for expenditures of housing funds, could provide recommendations to the Board of Commissioners regarding grant applications drafted by the Housing Director, could assist in the marketing program to stakeholders and partner organizations, could assist in reaching potential customers of the Cheboygan County Home Loan Services program, could provide input regarding a housing needs assessment and could provide review of other housing-related information as needed by other county entities.However, Board of Commissioners Chair Linda Socha said she did not feel an advisory committee was needed, as it would be an unnecessary layer/level of bureaucracy. She said grant perimeters already have to be followed by staff.“I think it would be adding a layer of redundancy just to keep these people involved,” Socha said.She also stressed concerns with empowering a committee of members who are not elected, and suggested the people could still be utilized. Schnell suggested they could serve as stakeholders by convening annually.Several other county commissioners agreed, and legal counsel will be contacted as to the necessary steps that must be taken to eliminate the Housing Commission.